Apparatus for playing and studying whist



No. 623,376. Patented Apr. l8, I899. C. H. LANDENBEBGER.

APPARATUS FOR PLAYING AND STUDYING WHIST.

(Application filed May 1, 1897.)

(No Model.)

WITNESSES:

' UNTTED STATES PATENT Orrion.

CHARLES H. LANDENBERGER, QF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

APPARATUS FOR PLAYING AND STUDYING WHIST.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 623,37 6, dated April 18, 1899.

Application filed May 1, 1897. Serial No- 634 6'76, (N0 model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES H. LANDEN- BERGER, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city and county of Philadelphia,

State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Apparatus for Playing and Studying \Vhisawhich improvement is fully set forth in the following specification and accompanying claims.

My invention consists of animproved construction of apparatus for playing and studing whist and other card-games which is especially adapted for enabling all the hands to be visible during play, means being provided for permitting the user to readily investigate the effectiveness of certain combinations of play as laid down by established authorities and to also keep the score of the game.

It further consists of novel details of construction, all as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and specifically pointed out in the claims.

Figure 1 represents a plan view of an apparatus for playing and studying whist and other games embodying my invention. Fig. 2 represents a section on line x :0, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 represents a section on line y y, Fig. 1. Fig. 4 represents a section of a carriage employed.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the figures.

Referring to the drawings, A designates an apparatus for playing and studying whist, the same consisting of a bed, board, or plate B, which has attaohedto its rear portion a foot or support O,which can be turned into the position seen in Fig. 2, whereby the bed B can be readily sustained in an inclined position.

D and E designate cross-pieces arranged along the edges of the bed 13 and adapted to sustain in position the transverse tracks F, which are preferably arranged in substantially parallel order and are fifty-two in number, corresponding to the number of cardsin an ordinary deck.

Each of the tracks V has a series of recesses G H J K, four in number,-the corresponding recess in each track being in alinement across the board, while the latter has, adjacent said recesses, the letters, N, E, S, XV, arranged in the order named, to indicate, re-

spectively, the north, east, south, and west players.

L designates a series of movable blocks or carriages, each consisting of a plate M,which has a beveled portion R and a recess therein substantially the width of its tracks F, said plate having the depending sides N, which are astride of and project below said track and have the pin Q or other suitable device under the track, the upper portion of the said sides having a pin or projection P, adapted to engage one of the recesses G to K, inclusive, which recess receiving said pin or projection P acts as a stop for the latter and a holder or look for the carriage. The surface of the plate M of each block has represented thereon a device indicative of suit, each thirteen of said blocks having marked thereon the suit of hearts, clubs, spades, and diamonds and also indicating the card of the suit it is desired to represent, as ace, king, queen, and

so on. After a hand is played or when the board is not in use the blocks L are pushed into the posit-ion seen at the extreme right of Fig. 2 and are protected by the cover S ,which consists of the plate T, having the deflected portion U, said plate being hinged at V.

In Fig. 4 I have shown another form of block or carriage which may be employed, the same consisting of the plate M", which has a beveled portion R, and a projection or tooth F, which is adapted to enter any one of the recesses in the series G H J K.

The manner of playing and studyinga hand is as follows: The first series of recesses Ghold in position blocks indicative of the cards held by the player sitting north, or at N, the same being in the present instance ace, eight, and six of spades, the queen, nine, and five of hearts, the king and six of clubs, and the ace, ten, six, and five of diamonds,one hand having been played, as will be explained. The hand of the player sitting at the east, or at E, consists of the king, nine, and seven of spades, the king, ten, six, and two of hearts, queen and seven of clubs, and the king and nine of diamonds. In like manner the hand of the player sitting at S and W consists of the cards in line with said letters. Play begins by the leader, who sits at the next cardinal point to the trump hand, trump card being indicated by placing a forked pin or other device on the track carrying the same. \Ve now begin to play a hand, and assume that the player at N plays first, leads four of hearts, the block designating the four of hearts will be caused to assume the position seen at lower portion of Fig. 1, which is done by tilting the upper end thereof so that the pin P moves out of the recess G, whereupon the block will slide by gravity on the tr'acks until it rests on the deflected portion M of the cover S The player sitting east now follows with the three of hearts, which moves from the position indicated in dotted lines to the position at the lower portion of Fig. 1. S now plays the seven of hearts and moves from the position seen dotted to the position seen in full lines at the lower portion of Fig. 1, while the player at W follows, playing last, and takes the trick with the ace of hearts, the four blocks abutting against the plate T and indicating the hand that has been played, after which the cover is raised, and the blocks which were resting on the cover will move below the same, as seen in Fig. 2. The score is indicated by means of the counters, which are in the shape of a cross or notched wheel and mounted on the rod V, a segment projecting through a slot X in the plate or an equivalent device VV while the slot Y, which is a continuation of the slot X, is of less width and adapted to hold in position or acts as a stop for the segment which projects t-herethrough, it being understood that it may not always be necessary to have a slot, as a suitable stop is all that is necessary. Each one of the segments of the wheel has indicated thereon the character N, fE, S, or WV, and the winner of the trick moves the wheel on the rod V in the position indicated at the left thereof at top of Fig. 1, with the letter indicative of the winner visible.

It will be seen from the foregoing that all the hands and cards may be played openly by one player, the hands being visible, for the purpose of demonstrating the effectiveness of certain combinations of play or the application of rules of play as laid down by acknowledged authorities on the game.

My invention obviates the objections heretofore prevalent in playing and studying hands published in works on card-games or in the current records of contests which have heretofore been played over by dealing out of any ordinary pack of playing-cards the combinations designated to the four sides of a board or table, using the four cardinal points N S E l/V to designate the position of the four hands, and since, naturally, the arrangement of the propercombinations of a pack of fifty-two cards is slow and complicated their arrangement for play occupies so much space as to interfere with the convenience of the player. By my invention the fifty-twocards are arranged in horizontal lines,space being thus economized, and the cards of each suit are placed together and follow each other, from the card of highest denomination on the left to the lowest on the right. i

It will of course be understood that the tracks employed may be flat rods or wires or other suitable devices for holding theblock indicative of the cards.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

-1. A series of tracks having rows of stops thereon in alinement, a series of carriages mounted on said tracks indicative of playingcards, said carriages being provided with means for engaging said stops, and a cover adapted to conceal said carriages when desired.

2. A complete deck of playing-cards mounted on blocks fitted to tracks, said blocks being provided with projections which engage in notches or recesses in said tracks to hold various combinations of said playing-cards in alinement, with certain characters marked on the track-bed, means by which said blocks may be disengaged from said notches or recesses and permitted to slide by gravity under a concealing-plate.

3. An apparatus for playing and studying whist, consisting of a bed having characters indicative of the players of the game thereon, a series of tracks, a block on eachof said tracks having characters indicative of a card, each of said blocks having a pin or projection for securing it in place on said track and means connected with said bed for indicating the status of the game.

4, In an apparatus of the character described, a bed having tracks mounted thereon and provided with a plurality of alining notches or recesses therein, a series of blocks having means thereon adapted to engage said recesses and a side of the board being provided with characters in alinement with said recesses and indicative of the players.

5. A counting device consisting of a plurality of notched wheels mounted on a rod, the periphery of each segment of said wheels being marked by a suitable character, and a plate or equivalent device over said rod form- I TO ing a slot of varying width, the slot of lesser width being adapted to engage in said notches and retain the wheel in position.

6. An apparatus for playing and studying whist, having a bed, aseries of tracks thereon, blocks on said tracks having beveled front ends and a recess therein and provided with depending sides, pins passing through the sides of said blocks, underneath said tracks eled portion and being provided with means for en gaging said recesses and a cover adapted to conceal said carriages when desired.

8. In an apparatus for playing and studying whist and other games, a track having a recess therein, a carriage mounted on said track and having a character thereon indicative of a playing-card, a projection on said carriage adapted to engage said recess, Walls depend- 

